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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells says he's feeling fine after his doctors finally found and treated the pinched nerve in his back. Now it's up to the coaches to decide if he'll return to the field against Dallas on Sunday.

Wells, who has been out since aggravating his lower back injury in an Aug. 16 preseason game in San Francisco, returned to practice this week and fully participated in Thursday's session.

Wells said his injury -- which originally developed in the offseason and first was described as a "trunk injury" -- basically was a pinched nerve.

"It just took a while for them to pinpoint exactly what it was," Wells said. "We tried a few different things early on and it didn't work. Now I feel like we've treated the issue and it shouldn't be a problem."

Assuming the injury doesn't flare back up, Wells must prove on the practice field that he's ready to return. And he thinks he took steps in that direction this week.

"That's usually the way it goes with an injury," Wells said. "They want to kind of feel you out. They don't want to throw you in headfirst. So they want to put you in, increase your workload throughout the week and then evaluate how you practiced. So I feel like I put in two good days of work, and it's up to them. They'll evaluate it, and whatever's best for the team, they'll do."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy was reserving judgment.

"I'll know more as time moves on," McCarthy said.

In Wells' absence, Jason Spitz moved from left guard to center and Daryn Colledge replaced Spitz at left guard. Tony Moll played right guard after an injury derailed rookie Josh Sitton's bid to win the starting spot in training camp, although Sitton also seems ready to return soon.

Wells says he's sick of sitting out.

"As a competitor, it's hard to sit out," Wells said. "So it's been difficult watching. But at the same time, you have to do what's best for your body. Definitely, I wasn't ready to play the last two weeks. The selfish side of me said put me in, but the intelligent side of the coaching staff said let's wait."

Wells admits he might be a little rusty, but prefers to think of himself as "fresh."

"You know, practice is to get the rust out," Wells said. "And there may be some rust early in the game. You know, we have an excellent opponent. So I think that should kind of get knocked off early, once you get into it."

RYAN READY?: Huffing and puffing in the locker room after an apparently intense workout, running back Ryan Grant said his nagging hamstring injury is feeling good -- so much so that he doesn't expect to be limited in practice after this week.

"I feel fine," Grant said. "I think this might be the last week I'm on this schedule."

The Packers have limited Grant in practice because of the injury and reduced some of his workload in the first two games of the season. Grant had only 20 yards on 15 carries in Detroit on Sunday, but said the injury wasn't holding him back.

"I watch film, I'm real hard on myself," Grant said. "Of course I feel like I should have broke this, I should have broke that."

NOTES: There were three changes to the Packers' injury report Thursday: DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) was limited in Thursday's practice after fully participating Wednesday. OG Josh Sitton (knee) and Wells (back) fully participated Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Also listed on the Packers' injury report were S Atari Bigby (hamstring), did not participate; OT Chad Clifton (knees), limited; RB Ryan Grant (hamstring), limited; FB Korey Hall (knee), did not participate; TE Tory Humphrey, (knee), did not participate; WR Ruvell Martin (finger), full participation; and CB Charles Woodson (toe), did not participate. ... McCarthy said Hall and Humphrey were likely to practice Friday. ... McCarthy said Woodson was not likely to practice again Friday, and is wearing a boot to protect his broken toe during the week. Despite a similar lack of practice time last week, McCarthy said he didn't sense any drop-off in Woodson's play in Sunday's game at Detroit. "He's missed some practice time in his time here, and it's something that he's definitely individually been able to overcome," McCarthy said.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)